Tough Lady

LAHORE Pakistan (Reuters) - An 18-year-old
Pakistani has survived being shot and thrown in a
canal by her family for marrying the man she
loved, police said, weeks after the "honor killing" of
another woman drew worldwide condemnation.
Ali Akbar, a local police official, said Saba Maqsood
had been attacked and shot by her father, uncle,
brother and aunt and thrown into the waterway in
the city of Hafizabad in Punjab province.
"It is an honor-related incident," Akbar told
Reuters.
"The victim, Saba ... married her neighbor
Muhammad Qaiser for love five days ago against
the wishes of her family. They took her to
Hafizabad, shot her twice and threw her in the
canal after putting her in a sack, presuming that
she was dead."
Akbar said Maqsood had been wounded in her
cheek and right hand. Her relatives fled the scene,
and after minutes in the water Maqsood regained
consciousness and managed to struggle to the
bank, where two passers-by helped her.
"She is a brave girl. She came out of the canal and
approached a nearby fuel station from where a
rescue team rushed her to hospital," he said.
Many conservative Pakistani families believe it is
dishonorable for a woman to fall in love and
choose her own husband.
In parts of Pakistan, a Muslim nation of 180 million
people, women are expected to agree to arranged
marriages and refusal can lead to an "honor
killing".
Last month a Pakistani woman called Farzana Iqbal
was attacked and killed by suspected family
members because she had married the man she
loved.
The case drew intense global attention, including
condemnation from the United Nations, partly
because it happened in broad daylight in the center
of the city of Lahore, Pakistan's cultural capital.
But many other incidents remain unreported. In
2013, 869 such cases were reported in the media,
according to the Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan, but the true figure is believed to be
higher.
Police official Akbar said he had recorded a
statement from Maqsood in which she blamed her
family for the attack.
"I was tortured and shot by my father Maqsood
Ahmad, brother Faisal Maqsood, uncle Ashfaq
Ahmad and his wife Sajida Bibi," he quoted her as
saying.
Akbar added: "Her condition is out of danger and
we have registered a case against her family on
her complaint."
Police had raided her father’s home in the nearby
city of Gujranwala but all the suspects had
disappeared, he said.
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